Muzaffarpur (Patna): The cyber police in Muzaffarpur have busted an alleged “digital arrest” fraud network that cheated a retired bank employee of ₹67 lakh by impersonating officials of central agencies. Two accused, identified as Priyaranjan Sharma, 62, and his son Anant Abhishek, were arrested from the Rajiv Nagar area of Patna on Sunday evening.
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Mahesh Gami, 66, a retired bank employee and resident of Amgola under the Kazi Mohammadpur police station area in Muzaffarpur, approached the cyber police. He alleged that he had been deceived after days of intimidation by fraudsters posing as senior officials.
Victim Threatened Through WhatsApp Video Calls
According to the complaint, Gami received a WhatsApp video call on March 26 from a man who introduced himself as a CBI officer. The caller allegedly claimed that Gami’s Aadhaar card had been misused in cases linked to terrorism and money laundering. He also alleged that a ₹5 crore financial offence had been registered against him.
The fraudsters warned Gami of imminent arrest and serious legal consequences. From March 26 to April 7, 2026, he was kept under constant psychological pressure through continuous WhatsApp video calls.
Forged Documents Used to Create Fear
Acting as officials from multiple agencies, the accused allegedly instructed Gami not to step out of his house or inform anyone, effectively placing him under “digital arrest.” To make the threat appear genuine, they sent forged documents purportedly issued by the Supreme Court, Reserve Bank of India, Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate.
Fearing arrest and reputational damage, Gami transferred a total of ₹67 lakh to bank accounts provided by the fraudsters. The payments included ₹42 lakh on April 4 and ₹25 lakh on April 6. After realising that he had been cheated, he lodged a complaint at the Muzaffarpur cyber police station on April 9.
Father-Son Duo Arrested After Technical Probe
Following directions from the senior superintendent of police, a special investigation team was constituted. DSP Himanshu Kumar said the accused were traced to Patna and arrested on the basis of technical analysis and tracking of suspicious bank transactions.
During the raid, police seized ₹23,900 in cash, a laptop, 16 chequebooks, two passbooks, three cellphones, four seals, a pen drive, three scanners and several banking documents allegedly used to execute the fraud.
The DSP said investigations revealed that the father-son duo allegedly ran a nationwide cyber fraud network. They opened bank accounts in the names of NGOs to siphon off money. He said more than 70 complaints from multiple states were linked to their bank accounts, indicating the scale of the operation.
